Health & Fitness
19 More Coronavirus Deaths Reported In Washington, 408 Cases
The jump in deaths is from an effort to investigate deaths that the state was unsure were due to the virus. Catch up on other developments.
SEATTLE, WA — Monday, state health officials confirmed nineteen new deaths linked to COVID-19 in Washington and 408 new confirmed cases of the disease.
The 19 new deaths mark significant departure from recent days, when most death tolls have been in the low single digits. But 17 of the 19 new deaths did not happen recently: over the past month the Department of Health has been investigating more than 3,000 deaths involving patients that had symptoms similar to the coronavirus. Thursday, they announced that they had determined that 17 deaths that had earlier been ruled to be caused by other diseases or factors, were actually caused by the coronavirus.
The new numbers mean a total of 27,192 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the state since the outbreak began, and 1,245 people have died.
A total of 446,899 Washingtonians have been tested for the coronavirus, meaning roughly 6.1 percent of tests come back positive.
Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates from health and government officials in Washington. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.
Catch up on the latest developments:
Air quality has improved because of the pandemic
With much of the state in partial lockdown and many working from home, the number of commuters on Washington's roads have taken a drastic dip. Less car commuters leads to fewer emissions, and improved air quality according to a new report from state experts.
"Certainly commuting is a big way we spend our time and burn fossil fuels," said Kristi Strauss, an environmental lecturer at the University of Washington. "The reduced traffic has not only improved carbon emissions, but also quality of life. I don't know anyone who values their time spent in traffic."
Researchers in Yakima county found that air was dirtier than expected in April, cleanup up significantly in May, but then decreased in quality again in June as businesses started to reopen again in many parts of the state. In particular, researchers found that Seattle saw a 30 percent drop in emissions after the stay home order was put into place.
Read more: Washington's Air Pollution Has Been Reduced By The Pandemic
Proclamations extended, including unemployment requirement waiver
Thursday Gov. Jay Inslee extended 23 proclamations offering assistance to residents who are struggling amid the pandemic. Among the extensions, was the waiver on job search requirements for anyone received unemployment benefits, which had been set to expire later this week.
Normally, residents filing unemployment claims must prove that they have applied for at least three jobs each week in order to keep their claims active and receive unemployment benefits. Thanks to the waiver, those applicants no longer have to apply for jobs, at least through the end of the month. The waiver is now set to expire on July 1.
Other proclamations extended Thursday includes those suspending certain taxes, late fees, and other payments that might be made difficult during this time of economic uncertainty.
A full list of those extended proclamations can be found on the governor's website here.
Coronavirus cases by county
| County | Confirmed Cases | Hospitalizations | Deaths |
| Adams | 101 | 7 | 0 |
| Asotin | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| Benton | 1,268 (+32) | 178 (+1) | 75 (+1) |
| Chelan | 279 (+3) | 19 | 6 |
| Clallam | 32 (+3) | 3 | 0 |
| Clark | 638 (+8) | 98 (+1) | 28 (+1) |
| Columbia | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cowlitz | 124 (+4) | 19 | 0 |
| Douglas | 189 (+5) | 12 | 3 |
| Ferry | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Franklin | 1,081 (+37) | 115 (+4) | 28 (+2) |
| Garfield | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant | 328 (+18) | 30 | 5 |
| Grays Harbor | 21 | 7 | 0 |
| Island | 184 | 32 | 12 (+1) |
| Jefferson | 32 | 6 | 0 |
| King | 8,963 (+78) | 1,712 (+5) | 597 (+6) |
| Kitsap | 182 (+2) | 27 | 2 |
| Kittitas | 92 | 1 | 0 |
| Klickitat | 52 (+3) | 8 (+2) | 3 |
| Lewis | 43 (+2) | 12 | 3 |
| Lincoln | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason | 41 | 5 | 1 |
| Okanogan | 62 (+1) | 5 | 2 (+1) |
| Pacific | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| Pend Orielle | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierce | 2,199 (+20) | 389 (+3) | 89 |
| San Juan | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Skagit | 474 (+5) | 54 | 15 |
| Skamania | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Snohomish | 3,200 (+13) | 593 (+1) | 160 (+1) |
| Spokane | 880 (+10) | 100 (+1) | 37 |
| Stevens | 16 | 4 | 1 |
| Thurston | 201 (+4) | 32 | 5 |
| Wahkiakum | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Walla Walla | 127 (+3) | 8 | 3 |
| Whatcom | 467 (+10) | 53 | 39 |
| Whitman | 30 (+2) | 0 | 0 |
| Yakima | 5,777 (+126) | 424 (+5) | 128 (+6) |
| Unassigned | 47 (+22) | 1 (-2) | 0 |
| Total | 27,192 | 3,959 | 1,245 |
The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.